Geography
Guanajuato covers 30,607 km² in the centre of Mexico and is divided into 46 municipalities. Two-thirds of it is the Bajío, a flat, fertile basin at 1,700–1,800 m drained by the Río Lerma, which enters from Michoacán and runs west along the southern edge of the state towards Lake Chapala. This is the best farmland in the country outside the irrigated north-west, and it has been growing wheat, sorghum, strawberries and broccoli for export since the colonial period.
North of the plain the ground breaks up. The Sierra de Guanajuato rises abruptly behind the capital to about 2,900 m and carries the silver veins that built the city; Cerro del Cubilete, 2,700 m, holds the Cristo Rey statue that is often described as the geographic centre of Mexico. Further north-east the land climbs again into the Sierra Gorda, a limestone range shared with Querétaro and San Luis Potosí, where the highest ground in the state is Cerro El Zamorano at about 3,360 m on the Querétaro border. The climate is semi-arid to temperate, with 600–700 mm of rain a year concentrated in June to September, and frost is common on the plain in December and January.
Main cities
Guanajuato is the sixth most populous state in Mexico and has an unusually even spread of large cities rather than one dominant capital. León, Irapuato, Celaya and Salamanca form a chain along the MX-45 corridor, and the state is one of the largest vehicle-producing states in Mexico: General Motors has built at Silao since 1995, Mazda at Salamanca since 2014, Honda at Celaya since 2014 and Toyota at Apaseo el Grande since 2019. León makes the majority of Mexico’s shoes and processes most of its leather, an industry running there since the 1880s, and Salamanca has one of the six Pemex refineries.
| Municipality | Population (2020) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| León | 1,721,215 | Largest city; footwear and leather |
| Irapuato | 592,953 | Strawberries, agro-industry |
| Celaya | 521,169 | Honda plant, cajeta caramel |
| Salamanca | 273,271 | Pemex refinery, Mazda plant |
| Silao | 203,556 | GM plant and BJX airport |
| Guanajuato | 194,500 | Capital; UNESCO World Heritage |
| San Miguel de Allende | 174,615 | UNESCO World Heritage, large US community |
| Pénjamo | 152,231 | Western Bajío, tequila-region agave |
| Dolores Hidalgo | 148,173 | Site of the 1810 Grito de Dolores |
| Valle de Santiago | 141,058 | Volcanic crater lakes on the Lerma |
Neighbouring states
Guanajuato is landlocked and has five neighbours. Clockwise from the north-west they are Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Michoacán, Jalisco. The Querétaro border is the busiest, because the two capitals sit 100 km apart on the same toll road and their industrial parks function as one labour market; the Michoacán border follows the Lerma for much of its length. Guanajuato and Querétaro together form the core of El Bajío, the region name used for the whole belt of manufacturing cities between Querétaro and Aguascalientes.
Getting there
Del Bajío International (BJX) at Silao is the state’s only commercial airport, 20 km from León and 35 km from the capital, with direct flights to Mexico City, Tijuana, Monterrey and about a dozen US cities including Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles and Chicago. Querétaro (QRO) is 100 km east of Celaya and serves the eastern municipalities.
By road, MX-45D is the main axis, running from Querétaro through Celaya, Salamanca and Irapuato to León and on to Aguascalientes; MX-57D links Querétaro north to San Luis Potosí and passes 50 km east of San Miguel de Allende. MX-110 crosses the south towards Morelia. From Mexico City the capital is about 370 km, roughly 4 hours 30 minutes on MX-57D and MX-45D; León is 380 km and about 5 hours, San Miguel de Allende 275 km and 3 hours 30 minutes. Long-distance buses run at least hourly between all four Bajío cities. See the airports map and the road map.
Questions about Guanajuato
Where is Guanajuato on the map of Mexico?
In central Mexico, on the Bajío plain about 370 km north-west of Mexico City. It borders Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Michoacán and Jalisco, and has no coast.
What is the difference between Guanajuato the state and Guanajuato the city?
The city is the capital and holds about 194,500 people in a narrow ravine at 2,000 m. The state has 6,166,934 residents and 46 municipalities, and its largest city by far is León with 1.72 million.
Is Guanajuato a UNESCO World Heritage site?
Two places in the state are listed: the historic town of Guanajuato and its adjacent mines, inscribed in 1988, and the protective town of San Miguel de Allende with the sanctuary of Atotonilco, inscribed in 2008.
Which airport serves Guanajuato?
Del Bajío International (BJX) at Silao, between León and the capital, is the fourth-busiest airport in Mexico for US traffic and about 30 minutes from either city. Querétaro (QRO) is the alternative for the east of the state.
How far is San Miguel de Allende from Mexico City?
About 275 km by road, roughly 3 hours 30 minutes on MX-57D through Querétaro. From León it is 165 km and about 2 hours.